Cognac Frapin Cigar Blend XO, Grande Champagne 40%

Additional information

Origin	Cognac, France, Grande Champagne
Bottle sizes	70cl
Vintage	NV

Description

Cognac Frapin Cigar Blend XO is a single-estate Cognac, offering a fuller, richer style designed to pair perfectly with a fine cigar. It is a limited bottling and is bottled as a Grande Champagne Cognac 1er Cru de Cognac.

Cognac Frapin

The Frapin family has been distilling in the Cognac region for 20 generations, and their single estate consists of 240 hectares of vineyards in Grande Champagne. Their headquarters are located at the stunning Chateau Fontpinot, situated among the vineyards in the commune of Segonzac. Grande Champagne is one of 6 sub-regions of Cognac; it is set on chalky soils (similar to those of the Champagne region) and is generally considered to produce the richest, most long-lived cognacs.

Cognac Frapin practises “L’agriculture raisonnée“, which is eco-friendly, responsible farming. The vineyards are cultivated naturally, taking into account elements such as the biology of the vine, parasites, weather conditions, and soil. Natural elements are also restored to the earth by adding pruned branches and distillation residue back to the vineyard.

Distillation on the Lees

Each year, the harvest is carried out by hand. After the grapes for the Cognac Frapin Cigar Blend are hand-harvested, a simple white wine, “Vin de Charente,” is produced, primarily from Ugni Blanc grapes. The wine is aged and then undergoes a double distillation on the lees in 4 traditional copper Charentais stills. This imparts complex aromas, a very concentrated bouquet, and an exceptional length on the palate closely linked to the House’s style. Only the heart of the distillation is used as the “heads” and “tails” contain elements which can detract from the quality of the finished product.

Cognac Frapin Cigar Blend XO Ageing

After distillation, the spirit is aged in Limousin oak casks at Frapin’s cellars where they are positioned accordingly, either on the lower or upper level to achieve different flavours. The Limousin oak barrels add notes of vanilla. After 20 years, the evolution of this very old eaux-de-vie, typical of Grande Champagne, reveals notes of old port mingled with the scents of cigar boxes. The extended ageing that all Frapin’s Cognacs receive sets them apart from their competitors and contributes to the House’s rich, complex and smooth style.

”Exceptional with a cigar, but just as good without”, says Patrice Piveteau, Cellar Master. Available to buy now at Fareham Wine Cellar.

Tasting Notes

From Frapin:

Colour and Bouquet: Cigar Blend XO has a mahogany colour with coppery highlights. On the nose, it reveals elegant notes of mellow vanilla and dried fruits (walnuts and hazelnuts), due to the longer ageing process in new oak barrels and the age-old know-how of the FRAPIN family. Very smooth, complex, balanced and subtle bouquet of old port blended with cigar box aromas, so typical of a Grande Champagne distilled on lees.

On The Palate: Absolutely superb with cigars that have characteristic aromas of honey and spices or dried fruits, particularly those from Honduras (the Santa Rosa region in the Northwest and Danley in the South). Served at room temperature, it expresses the famous ‘Rancio’ (the distinctive aromas of old cognacs that emerge between 15 and 20 years of age), characterized by flavors of nuts, hazelnuts, and dried fruits mingled with dried flowers. Best enjoyed with the finest cigars. Balance – roundness – richness. The Cigar Blend XO offers an exceptional length on the palate where all the flavors blend with subtlety and complexity. This cognac reveals a discreet note of vanilla from the wood tannin and a homogeneous bouquet with persistent aromas of spices, dried fruits, and Rancio.